I live in one of the places that screened “Hating Breitbart” on it’s opening weekend so I Fandango’ed me a ticket and went down to see it. Some of the footage had already been shown at various conservative conferences and private screenings so there weren’t going to be any big surprises for me.
The movie follows the last two years of Andrew Breitbart’s life and gives the viewer the fly-on-the-wall perspective. Most of what average Americans saw of Andrew was filtered through an MSM camera and editor and was always less than flattering. But the underlying theme of the movie mimics another recent movie’s sub-title: “Who watches the Watchmen?”. Andrew made no bones about how sick he was of the mainstream media’s bias.
Terry Moran interviews Andrew Breitbart
This is highlighted in one of the movie’s segments where Terry Moran spends some time interviewing Andrew for “Nightline”. Terry’s goal was to get Andrew to call civil rights hero congressman John Lewis a liar for statements he made about racial epithets he alleged had been hurled at him by tea party protestors. After repeated attempts, Andrew finally drops the “l-word” and Terry, sensing he had gotten the money quote, immediately tries to change the subject so he can get another. Andrew caught him immediately and called him on it. The entire exchange is recalled on the steps of the capitol in detail.
Having previously read Andrew’s 2011 book “Righteous Indignation”, I was constantly finding myself wanting more detail than could be provided in an approximately 90 minute documentary. But many of the highlights are hit. The demolishing of Acorn, the Sherrod Department of Agriculture scandal, and a good deal of time devoted to Andrew’s friendship with James O’Keefe. I have only two complaints about the film. No mention is made of the efforts of Andrew during the battle for Wisconsin last year. And while they did cover the Anthony Weiner scandal during the film’s closing credits, it could have been explored deeper (no pun intended).
Overall the film is a great look into the man, his passion, and the legacy he has left us. There are great cameos by the editors of some of the Breitbart sites who carry on Andrew’s work. I was one of the lucky people who had a chance to spend a little time around Andrew. While I can not say that I knew him well, the movie does capture the Andrew I observed. He had the ability to relate to anyone and could personalize the conservative movement for anyone. No one embodied the concept of a “big tent” more than Andrew. I encourage everyone to see this movie. And for anyone who asks you, as I was asked on Twitter this weekend, why Andrew was so important to the conservative movement, this should be exhibit A.
He will be sorely missed.
For information about screenings in your area, go to: www.hatingbreitbart.com
